Happy time zone to you, and welcome to another piping hot bowl of Cosmic Soup news.

Development is continuing apace, with lots of optimisations and tune-ups underway. Our UI is being tuned up by Sean, our code is being tuned up by Aaron, our tunes are being tuned up by Michael, and Nick is eagerly awaiting delivery of his new thesaurus.

So let’s dive right into it, and talk about…

SUITS

A suit is not just something you spend $200 on once in high school and then wear for 15 years – it’s also a word used in tabletop games to describe a collection of cards. This is relevant because our game features lots of cards, based as it is on the card game ‘Go Fish’. (See previous newsletters.)

The Ace of Swords deals a lot of damage to your opponent.

In GO PHISH, we already have over thirty different suits implemented, each with unique powers and synergies. When you draw a card from your deck it arrives in an active state, and when used to request a card from your opponent, its unique power will be deployed.1 After use, the card’s power becomes exhausted;2 it can still be used to request cards from your opponent, but with no special effect.3

The card on the left will deal damage when used for a request. The card on the right can be used for request, but won’t deal any further damage.

Suits can be one of four types: Attack, Support, Control, and Utility. When used for a request, Attack suits tend to deal damage, Support suits tend to heal you, Control suits tend to move cards around, and Utility suits are where we put all the other ones that didn’t fit have interesting… utilities.

You are required to equip one of each type in your loadout, so you can’t go all in on offence without some support options. New suits are purchased from the Merchant at your door, who brings a random selection every visit at various price points. Unlike programs and plugins, which are automatically equipped,4 suits must be manually swapped at the customisation table. (We don’t want to mess with your build.)

Now I know what you’re thinking – did you really spend $200 on a suit in high school? Well to be honest, I don’t remember, but it felt emotionally true when I wrote it. If it’s okay with you, though, I’d like to keep talking about suits. ‘Cause the cool thing is, if you steal a card from your opponent, and it’s still active, you get to use that card’s ability as if it was your own. Giving your foe a taste of their own medicine is particularly satisfying.

And of course, we have built in synergies to give the careful player added strategic options during a hack. The consumable Overclock item refreshes all exhausted cards in your hand, while the Reboot plugin has a 50% chance to refresh a card if you Go Phish. Getting to use a suit’s special ability multiple times feels delightfully OP, though hopefully not in a ‘breaks the game’ kind of way.

So, shall we walk through some of my favourite suits? Yes we shall, because I am writing the newsletter.

ATTACK SUITS

When you start the game, you’ll have Swords equipped, which deals a standard 1:1 damage to rank (2 card does 2 damage, up to Ace doing 14 damage). But Attack suits get weird and wonderful. There’s Vampires, which does half the value as damage but heals you for half as well. There’s also Waves, which does increased damage for every card in your hand.

And then there’s my personal favourite: Werewolves. These cards start off doing standard damage, but if you can hold off requesting with them for three turns, they’ll transform into their wolf form, which then deals 200% damage. There’s an exciting push/pull between needing to use the card (don’t want your opponent to steal it), and not wanting to miss the chance at double damage by requesting too soon. Fun!

The Werewolves suit in action. (See 28 damage in top left vs standard 14.)

SUPPORT SUITS

The default here is Hearts; much in the way Swords damages at 1:1 rank value, Hearts heal at 1:1 value. In the early game, they’re a reliable stalwart while you’re learning the ropes. Soon, though, you’ll be tempted by some more interesting options.

Roots heals you for 50% of card value for (Card Value/2) turns. For example, an 8 will heal four damage for the next four turns. Slow release fertiliser, if you will. There’s also Shields, which reduce damage from any incoming attack, and Leaves, which give you a 200% heal if the card is stolen by your foe. I have a soft spot for Vaccines, though, which is one of the few ways you can increase your maximum health in the game (though on use it only heals you for half its value).

Vaccines in action. A medical miracle.

CONTROL SUITS

These are all about moving cards around, and the default suit has actually changed a few times in development – which means it will probably change again. Originally, we gave you Quakes, which discards and redeals the communal pool, but this was actually a rather powerful – and kind of distracting – ability for a new player.

Currently, you start with Harpoons, which steals a random card from your opponent’s hand, regardless of your success or failure in the request. If you are lucky, you can get three or four cards in a single turn if the opponent had a couple of the rank you asked for, plus your bonus harpooned card. This is also probably too strong, but unlike Quakes, which people were mixed on, new players LOVE Harpoons (guaranteed win every use). So we’ll see.

My tip, though? Hunters. They draw a card of equal rank from your deck if you have one. Don’t sleep on Reapers, either, which steal (Card Value/2) cards from your opponent’s discard pile. If deployed at the right time, it can be absolutely punishing. (Did you just submit a packet of four Kings on me? Well how about I steal them and do it back to you!)

Quakes clears the communal pool.

UTILITY SUITS

Just when you thought things were already weird, check out these guys. You start with Dollars, an early lifeline that earns you 1:1 card rank in cash and is your most reliable path to upgrades at the start of a run.

Then you get to things like Bombs, which booby trap a card in your hand that goes off when stolen, and Flames, which burn cards in your opponent’s hand so they deal damage when interacted with. There’s the diptych of Sprouts and Wounds; the former’s rank increases by one level every turn, while the latter decreases by one every turn. Use these to get the card you need for a packet when it’s not showing up in requests, or to systematically clear out your opponent’s hand by requesting a new rank every turn.

But the best, and currently most broken suit in the game? Echoes. Echoes copies the ability that was last used.5 You can imitate what your opponent just did to you, or if they used an exhausted card with no power, it will repeat what YOU did the turn prior. Unhinged.

Flames burn your opponent’s hand.

BACK IN ACTION

Oh, and one last thing. When you successfully hack a Big Phish target, you will acquire your victim’s CARD BACK ART. This art can also be equipped in the loadout screen – and every piece of art has a unique ability. It’s like a bonus, fourth plugin. Pick the art that suits your aesthetic, or the one that synergises with your build… It’s up to you!

What a vibe.

SUIT YOURSELF

So that’s suits. Like I said up top, we have thirty in the game already, and ideas for plenty more (once we’ve balanced the ones we’ve already made). Finding the suits that, well, suit your play style is part of the fun, and we’re working to price them in-game at a level that encourages experimentation.

Next time, I think it’s time we talked music, no?

Goodbye.